Sidewinders and Shadows
by LimeAttack
Summary: Ideas spread like wildfire. Unlike a fire, though, they can be neither seen nor extinguished. When faced with the power of an idea, all of Equestria may be brought to its knees by the roguish script of a dead illusionist's last memoir. Slippery words shift to introduce its message to any pony that reads a book easily described as mental venom. Some things should remain hidden.


Trixie sighed, the smooth quill slipping out of her magical grasp and clicking down onto the table. She stared at the thin book that lay before her and brushed her mane back as she inspected her untitled work. With a small smile, she ran a hoof over the binding, recalling the time she spent researching bookmaking. _Trixie can master whatever she pleases_. She looked around at the somewhat dingy shack, and with a huff fed enough power to her horn to set various cleaning tools scattered about into motion, slowly scraping away layer after layer of dust and grime until the walls practically glowed with a brand-new shine. Taking a few steps over to her bed, she blew out her lantern and crawled into an evening nap.

Like dust in the wind, Trixie slipped out of her bed and into the darkness, snatching up her freshly completed book and setting out into the pitch black night. Giving a single glance back toward what had served as a temporary home, she slid away through the night to her book's unwitting reader. While Trixie trotted in the dark, her horn glowed and runes crawled through the air around her and the book, imparting shifting, forgotten magic that should have stayed that way.

Up in the distance, the Ponyville library lay dark, the lights of a long night's study hushed by the deepest part of the early morning darkness. With the casual step of subtlety, Trixie approached the darkened tree, cloaked by the new moon and some of her own illusionary magic. The only breath on the landscape came when the book softly fell to the ground and kicked up a tiny bit of dust in front of the door, plainly in sight of anyone opening it come sunrise. The most important part of her plan now complete, Trixie sauntered off into the center of Ponyville, remembering how easily she had humiliated all five of the ponies that decided to try their hand at challenging her. She paused momentarily when she remembered Twilight Sparkle, and how the dastardly mare had passed herself off as completely unextraordinary, only to somehow defeat that Ursa Minor! _How does she not show off her magic to the world? It's clearly worth it, based on how the town reacted to that display. Either way, Trixie saved that book just for her. Trixie thinks that she's going to enjoy reading it very much_. A grin grew across her face as she continued her visit.

Trixie briefly stopped when she approached the town square, looking directly at the spot where she had humiliated those three other ponies. Fond memories, it seemed, did little for the mare. She continued on her path, walking briskly through the rest of Ponyville. When she reached the edge of the Everfree Forest, Trixie gave one last look back at the Equestria that she had scavenged a living in for her entire adult life. _It deserves what I've set loose in it_. With a brief, disapproving snort, the Great and Powerful Trixie galloped off into the depths of the Everfree, forever lost to pony eyes.

* * *

With a small, contented sigh, Rarity opened her eyes to the very dull red of a rising sun. She stared out the window. "Oh dear, it's rather early. Well, best to get a good start! I've been needing to get some gem hunting done, and early is an excellent time to start. Perhaps Spike will help me out again..." With a mind toward gemstones and dragons, Rarity peeled herself out of bed and went about her normal morning routine, carefully grooming her hair back into its trademark style and gently scrubbing away the night's tarnishing of her coat. Trotting downstairs, Rarity briefly considered her options for breakfast and decided on a simple fruit salad of grapes and honeydew.

After dabbing the last of the juices from her muzzle, Rarity strapped on her saddlebags, gave herself one final look-over, and trotted out her door and toward the Ponyville Library. On her way through the town square, she noticed Applejack already setting up her apple stand and gave a wave, which the farmer returned kindly. She also caught eye of the morning weather crew, and noticed that Rainbow Dash left an empty spot in the group. _I suppose she switched to the afternoon shift again_. When Rarity finally arrived at the library, she nearly gave a firm knock at the door before catching eye of a small note left on the handle: "Out to Canterlot on royal dragon business. Signed, Spike. Oh, well I may as well say hello to Twilight while I'm here." Just before she went inside, a brown sheen caught in the corner of her vision. Taking a closer peek, Rarity realized that it was a small book. Taking it into her saddlebags, she finally opened the door and walked inside.

Ten minutes later, Rarity walked right back out of the library, the strange book still in her bags. Twilight had been sleeping heavily, and apparently would not be able to take the book until she woke up later on. Oh well, Rarity mused, _I suppose that I could read the thing. It's not very long and I could always use a bit more refinement_. When she opened the front cover, she could barely believe what she saw. The words inside gleamed, carrying a light that nearly rivaled that of a perfectly cut flawless gem. As she read, she became more and more enthralled with every word that the book threw at her, poring over page after page of bright text.

When Rarity finally finished reading, she looked out the window and into the distance, gazing over the expansive land of Equestria. "I had never thought of things that way... And yet, the book was so right! Everything made sense. Even that one bit - I doubted it at first, but now I can see that it's completely true!" With that, a sly grin crept onto her face. "Well, this changes absolutely everything. Of all the best things that could happen, this is the. Best. Possible. Thing." The last sentence slipped off her tongue like polished silver. With a gleam in her horn and fabric turned ethereal, Rarity began to sew.


End file.
